Cameron Wake had a monster game with 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 6 total tackles. He now has 14 sacks on the season. We need more players like him.

The Bad

Jonathan Martin had a terrible debut at left tackle. He was bullrushed several times by Aldon Smith and clearly could not hold up. He just didn't seem to have the upper body strength to handle Smith, who is significantly lighter than Martin. To be fair to Martin, he did have a touch opening act against the NFL's leading rusher, but when you play at left tackle, you're usually facing the other team's best pass rusher. Not a good sign for the "replace Long with Martin" crowd.

The Dolphins run defense had a solid start but started bending as the game went on. The 49ers finished the day with 155 yards rushing and 5.5 ypc, but 50 of that did come on a Colin Kaepernick TD run. That being said, Frank Gore had 63 yards on 5.3 ypc and a touchdown.

Marcus Thigpen's dropped catch on a punt was a critical turning point and the type of mistake a team like the Dolphins cannot make. It gave the 49ers the ball in excellent field position and they scored the first TD of the game a couple of minutes later.

The Ugly

It is clear that this offense is simply not effective enough to compliment the defense. Whether it is protection issues, of which their were many in this game, a lack of homerun hitters on offense, playcalling or decision-making at quarterback, this offense is a perfect storm of ineptitude. From Jonathan Martin's struggles to receivers not getting open downfield, to the questionable decisions to go deep to Bess and then Matthews at the end of the game when the Dolphins were close to getting into red zone, the offensive performance left a lot to be desired. There definitely needs to be an upgrade of talent on offense to help be more effective on that side of the ball.

Overall

The Dolphins played hard and kept it close, but mistakes and a lack of offensive effectiveness led to a double-digit loss. Same story all season. We know where the problems are, we know what positions need to be addressed. The Dolphins have the ammunition to address many of those needs. The question is, can they do it effectively?

Does Cameron Wake just look strong but really isnt? He had tiny Kevin Kolb all wrapped up and couldnt take him down. truly pathetic. Every other good defnse has pass rushers that rip the quarterback to the ground.Author Swerve.

you're such a Monday Morning quarterback Mak. Wake didnt do anything for 3 games and 1 quarter until I pointed out that he isn't finishing and wrapping up the QB. That first attempt today at a sack was truly pathetic as Kolb just threw him off. So it looked like the Jets game all over again. Sanchez...Author Swerve

Sorry about the Swerve, I inferred on the issue. If you say he's a "heck of player" now, cool, you flip flopped. Like I said in the posts earlier in the season, it's not always about sacks, Wake is a beast and he is finally getting credit for it. Again, sorry for misreading your earlier posts.

Does Cameron Wake just look strong but really isnt? He had tiny Kevin Kolb all wrapped up and couldnt take him down. truly pathetic. Every other good defnse has pass rushers that rip the quarterback to the ground.Author Swerve.

you're such a Monday Morning quarterback Mak. Wake didnt do anything for 3 games and 1 quarter until I pointed out that he isn't finishing and wrapping up the QB. That first attempt today at a sack was truly pathetic as Kolb just threw him off. So it looked like the Jets game all over again. Sanchez...Author Swerve

Sorry about the Swerve, I inferred on the issue. If you say he's a "heck of player" now, cool, you flip flopped. Like I said in the posts earlier in the season, it's not always about sacks, Wake is a beast and he is finally getting credit for it. Again, sorry for misreading your earlier posts.

I've always liked Wake. But his slow start to the season had me frustrated. That was going back to last year as well (sacks were down). If you can call out a rookie QB for underperforming then i can call out a pro bowl Defensive end if he's not doing what he should.

Jonathan Martin had a terrible debut at left tackle. He was bullrushed several times by Aldon Smith and clearly could not hold up. He just didn't seem to have the upper body strength to handle Smith, who is significantly lighter than Martin. To be fair to Martin, he did have a touch opening act against the NFL's leading rusher, but when you play at left tackle, you're usually facing the other team's best pass rusher. Not a good sign for the "replace Long with Martin" crowd.

After Long's injury last week, I was hopeful that Martin would play a decent game. He did ok as a "reserve", but if we are going to count on Martin for 16 games (and then some) we will be in trouble. I've never need anyone fold up as he did on that bull rush. If Aldon Smith were a Dolphin making that play I'd still be talking about that play.

Rich wrote:

... 50 of that did come on a Colin Kaepernick TD run. That being said, Frank Gore had 63 yards on 5.3 ypc and a touchdown.

I rarely get depressed after a Dolphins loss, but giving up that long run to Kaepernick really put me in a down mood. It was a sorry way to lose a game.

Gore was phenomenal. He didn't look fast or that shifty, but I'd like to see the stats on number of missed tackles in this game. He had something that our backs don't seem to have and that's tackle-breaking ability. Daniel Thomas should take notes. Heck, even Paul Soliai missed tackling him twice on the same play.

Rich wrote:

Cameron Wake had a monster game with 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 6 total tackles. He now has 14 sacks on the season. We need more players like him.

It looks like Fields finally has competition for team MVP, eh? I do get a good laugh in the chat room during games when someone always comments miserably that Fields is our team MVP.

I've always liked Wake. But his slow start to the season had me frustrated. That was going back to last year as well (sacks were down). If you can call out a rookie QB for underperforming then i can call out a pro bowl Defensive end if he's not doing what he should.

I've always liked Wake. But his slow start to the season had me frustrated. That was going back to last year as well (sacks were down). If you can call out a rookie QB for underperforming then i can call out a pro bowl Defensive end if he's not doing what he should.

I've always liked Wake. But his slow start to the season had me frustrated. That was going back to last year as well (sacks were down). If you can call out a rookie QB for underperforming then i can call out a pro bowl Defensive end if he's not doing what he should.

Said it before and will say it again. Sacks can be misleading stats.

Pro Football Focus had him ranked as the top defensive end in the NFL even during the early weeks of the season even though he didn't have many sacks then.

I've always liked Wake. But his slow start to the season had me frustrated. That was going back to last year as well (sacks were down). If you can call out a rookie QB for underperforming then i can call out a pro bowl Defensive end if he's not doing what he should.

Said it before and will say it again. Sacks can be misleading stats.

Pro Football Focus had him ranked as the top defensive end in the NFL even during the early weeks of the season even though he didn't have many sacks then.

Probably because he was still getting hits and pressures.

Sacks are great, but pressures are pretty good too. They can often force the QB to be inaccurate or even throw one up to the defense.

good write up. I remember in the early to mid 2000s there was the replace ZT crowd...until he missed a few games down one stretch and 50yds a game was added by opposing offenses on the ground. Ditto for Jake Long.. I've often said that a players worth is often how badly he is missed.